"They got away with it": victim on making spiking a specific offence

Saraya Haddad is a university student studying for her PHD in Birmingham.

She got spiked 5 years ago, when she was completing her undergraduate at a university in Sussex.

She said that she is still apprehensive to go out now: "In the summer, I got given a glass of water. It tasted funny, so I couldn't even drink it."

It comes as Sir Keir Starmer has reiterated plans for spiking to become a specific offence, as he hopes a change will give people "the confidence to come forward".

Spiking is already illegal, but the commitment is to making it a specific offence. According to information published by the Metropolitan Police, spiking offences are covered by more than one law.

Saraya said that having someone convicted for what happened to her, would have brought her closure.

"Who did it to me got away with it. I was the sixth person in six months to report spiking in that bar. I was not alone in this, and none of us got justice," she said.

The Prime Minister also laid out plans for venue staff to be trained in relation to spiking, with a pilot to begin within weeks before a wider rollout next year.

The Prime Minister made the comments in a meeting of police bosses, transport figures and hospitality executives in Downing Street on Monday morning.

Saraya said that, had the staff in the bar where she was spiked been trained on how to spot spiking in it's early stages, her situation would have been handled differently.

"If the bar staff had realised, they could have sent me straight to the hospital. Especially because a lot of these drugs are out of your system in about 12 or 13 hours.

"If samples are not being taken, then we won't have the convictions," she said.

Saraya has welcomed the announcements made by the Prime Minister.

However, she does feel more could be done: "A lot of the victims blame themselves or they doubt that it happened to them. I think more support for the victim is vital," she said.